Child of a Different Kind
by metro.max
Summary: A five year old Toph unwittingly stumbles upon something that will mark the beginning of a new life and a new future. [oneshot] [Toph learns Earthbending]


**Disclaimer: **I named the "Cave of Two Lovers" badgermoles Hernando and Bernadette, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't give me rights to Avatar.

**Author's Notes:**

It's like… a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I've been working on this story for what seems like forever, and now it's finally finished. It's almost as if the story's become a part of me—whenever I didn't know what to write, I'd pick this up. Whenever I felt unmotivated to write, I'd take a stab at this and churn out a thousand words. This story came to me so easily I'm surprised it took this long, but it's been a labor of love the entire ride.

Of course, it's immensely interesting reading to me, though I'm sure some people might be turned off. But when I listened to the audio commentary of the episode _The Blind Bandit_ and heard Mike and Bryan mentioning how Toph probably wandered out when she was five and met up with a badgermole, I couldn't help but think of how interesting a meeting that would be.

But this story and I, we've certainly had our ups and downs. Take the title, for instance. When I went to click the save button for the first time, I realized I had no immediate title in mind, so I wrote out an immensely long working title that I abbreviated as LISTBATCWYS (despite the fact that that's an incorrect abbreviation to start off with—the first S should be an M). This shortened more to simply LIST. When I got about five thousand words in, a new title was adopted: The Story That Won't Die. Even as I finished it, it was left untitled. But as I walked past a bookshelf, I saw the title _Child of Adversity_ and liked it so much that I sort of played off of it.

And thus, the longest oneshot I've ever written was born. Please enjoy, and **review**!

Alisa

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**Child of a Different Kind**

"Make sure you're watching her carefully, Chizu, you know she'll run away! And be sure that she doesn't dirty her dress, it's new. Oh, and don't let her take her shoes off, or you'll be scrubbing her feet!"

Chizu placed a weathered hand on Poppy Bei Fong's arm and gave it a small pat. "Don't you worry yourself, ma'am. In all my years, I've yet to lose your daughter."

Poppy frowned a bit at the woman's words, but nonetheless ended her stream of commands. She looked down at her daughter and only child as she stumbled into the room, a bright smile blooming on the child's face at the prospect of playing outside without her mother's supervision.

At five and a half years old, Toph was a rambunctious ball of energy. Lively as ever, Toph liked to play in the mud, throw small rocks at whoever happened to be walking by, talk endlessly to anyone who would listen, and altogether fray her mother's nerves. Toph was petite for her age, and often came back from any outing covered in scratches and bruises. Poppy accounted this solely to the fact that Toph was blind, and not that she shouldn't have been climbing trees or jumping in the small pond located within their property or trying to Earthbend. For this reason, Poppy was continuously worried about her young child (especially when it involved anything other than learning the proper behavior of society), but she also desperately needed to prepare for a guest that was coming over later, and so decided to send Toph to play outside under the supervision of her nurse, Chizu.

Chizu, now nearing the age of ninety-one, had been Toph's nurse since birth. It had only seemed natural that Poppy would choose Chizu as caretaker of her newborn infant, as the old woman had been her nurse since birth as well. Poppy had been raised strictly but kindly and as properly as could be under the care of Chizu, and wanted the same type of treatment for her precious child. But with her silvery-gray hair, wrinkled and weathered skin, and drifting memory, it seemed as if Chizu's age was catching up with her. But Poppy loved the woman dearly and kept her around regardless of her deteriorating service. Chizu always did her best, and besides, there were the gardeners and other servants always flitting around to keep an eye on Toph.

Kneeling down in front of her daughter, Poppy adjusted the shawl around Toph's shoulders and made sure her leather play shoes were secure. More than once Toph had come back inside with spectacularly dirty feet instead of her shoes.

Toph fidgeted under her mother's hands and Poppy brushed bangs out of the child's eyes fondly. "Now be good, Toph," she said firmly, "and listen to what Chizu tells you to do. Leave your shoes on and don't play in the water."

Toph nodded her head quickly against her mother's hand and said, "Can I go now?"

Poppy gave a small smile at Toph's eagerness. "Yes, Toph, you can go," she consented.

With an ever-growing smile, Toph turned to where she knew her nurse was standing and thrust out her tiny hand. Chizu grasped it in her dark one and they shuffled past Poppy and out of the door.

Outside it was warm and breezy, a perfect day for leaving the confines of the home. Toph could hear the different birds chirping and the quiet humming of a gardener as he tended to the flowers. Once they reached the edge of the small pond, Toph listened as Chizu pulled up a low bench for them to sit on.

Everyone, including even Master Yu, was amazed that Chizu still had it in her to Earthbend, but Toph wasn't surprised at all. Chizu was old, but Toph knew that Earthbending was something that was always with you, no matter how old you got to be. It was a part of you that you couldn't lose, even if it was at first hard to find.

Slipping into the horse stance that Master Yu had taught her only last week, Toph extended her concentration into the Earth around her and lifted her hands, palms up, above her head. Nothing happened, however, except for a faint shifting of dirt.

From her bench, Chizu chuckled. "You really are something, little one," she said in her sturdy, motherly voice. "Come sit next to me and we'll dip our feet in the water."

Toph scrambled over, nearly tripping on the way there. She pulled herself up next to the Earthbender and stuck her feet out in front of her. Chizu pulled them into her lap and tugged the leather slippers from Toph's feet, and the girl gave a sigh of relief.

"I hate wearing shoes," she said, dipping her feet in the cool water. "I don't know why Mom makes me wear them. I _like_ having dirt on my feet."

Chizu chuckled. "That must be a trait all Earthbenders possess, for I don't like to wear shoes either. The feeling of the Earth under my feet makes my connection to the element stronger."

"Yeah," said Toph with a newfound conviction, wiggling her toes in the pebbly sand. "It's easier to—to-to _connect_ when I don't wear shoes."

"A physical connection makes our bond with the Earth stronger," Chizu explained, settling herself against the back of the stone bench and sinking in just slightly.

"You know," Toph said, pushing herself off of the bench and kicking at the water, "Master Yu won't let me do anything other than basic form and—and _breathing exercises_. I know I can do more, but he won't let me!"

"He just... doesn't want to push you," Chizu murmured heavily, her eyelids sinking slowly shut.

"But I just wanna learn Earthbending!" Toph cried, directing a particularly sharp kick at the water and startling birds out of a nearby tree. "You know, I can—can _feel_ things with my feet. When Momoko dropped a bowl on the ground, I knowed—"

"Knew," Chizu's drowsy voice corrected.

"—knew, but I was in the other room. I could feel it fall and I could feel her running to get the broom. But it's not one big feeling, it's lots of little feelings, like, like—like waves." She trailed her dress through the water as she squatted down to feel the gentle waves lapping against her hand.

"It has different feelings when Mom walks and when Dad walks and when you walk. The little waves are different for everyone. That's how I know it's you coming and not Mom or Dad. And I know where doors are, 'cause the waves take longer where there's a door, even if it's not open."

"But..." She stood up, her tiny hands clenched into fists. "But Master Yu don't believe me when I tell him about the little waves. He thinks I'm making it up, but I'm not! I tell him I can see things with the waves, but he don't listen! I hate Master Yu! I hate him more than shoes!" Toph cried, furious with indignance.

"Well..." She paused, wiggling her toes in the pebbles and sand. "I hate shoes more. I hate Master Yu almost as much as I hate shoes."

Toph paused for a moment, waiting, and then turned. Rather than the scolding Toph was sure to come from her angry words, she instead heard the faint snoring of her nursemaid, who was sound asleep on her stone bench. Toph placed a wet hand on the nurse's leg, but Chizu just made a small gurgling noise in response.

"Chizu?" Toph asked, poking the woman with a finger. She said nothing in reply, and a grin slowly unfurled on Toph's face.

"Chizu, are you awake?"

Nothing.

"I'm gonna go play outside the wall, okay?"

A soft snore in reply.

"Thanks, Chizu!"

Flashing the sleeping woman a brilliant smile, Toph slipped out of the water and past the stone bench. But she had to be careful, Toph realized. There were guards wandering everywhere in the Bei Fong estate and if she was spotted, she was sure to get in trouble with her mother and her father, not to mention the scolding Chizu would receive. Hiding behind a bush near the path edging the wall, Toph focused all her energy on what the Earth around her was saying. From what her limited "feelings" were telling her, there were no guards nearby. If she was quiet, no one would notice her and she would be able to slip out the front gate undetected.

Flitting from bush to bush, Toph made her way along the path and to the gate. Now all she needed was a distraction to get the guards away from their duties outside of the wall (she could faintly feel them pacing back and forth in front of the giant wooden door). Lips forming a pout, she racked her brain as to what she could do. Then her face lit up as a plan formed.

Breathing deeply and sliding into her stance, Toph went through the motions, one by one, to lift a rock from the ground. Master Yu had showed her, once, after she had begged and coddled and promised never to ask again, and she had followed his exact motions carefully as he pulled her arms through the movements. She had never actually pulled a rock from the ground using the motion (Master Yu said it was too dangerous for her), but Toph was confident in her abilities and now that she actually had the chance to use them, she was eager to do so.

Concentrating on the ground in front of her, Toph planted her feet firmly and put her arms in front of her, palms down and wrists relaxed. She envisioned a rock within the Earth (a round shape, for she knew shapes well) and pulled her wrists up sharply.

Nothing.

Brushing her bangs from her nose with a wave of her hand, Toph took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Exhaling slowly, she widened her stance once again and positioned her arms. Throwing herself into the Earth, she could feel the tug of the ground, almost like an extension of her legs—a grin bloomed on her face and she pulled her wrists up easily.

The weight of the rock hovering in the air was light, like a purse hanging from between her wrists. Carefully, making sure never to lose her grip on the stone, Toph reached out and grasped it in her hands. The feeling of herself in the rock was lost, but Toph didn't mind—she could still feel her conscious reaching through her legs and into the surrounding ground.

Doing a tiny jump of victory, Toph ran to the wall to the right of the gate wall, away from the door. Unsure of how high the wall was, Toph knew she had to be ready the moment the rock hit the other side. Winding up, she let loose the rock and listened carefully. There was the clattering sound of the stone hitting the ground on the other side of the wall, the sound of shuffling feet and shouts, and she was off.

Reaching the door, Toph gave it a hearty push and slipped out in the small crack that had been opened. Turning on the spot, she gave another heave and the gate clicked shut. Unsure of where the guards were and if they were still distracted, Toph took off in the opposite direction, cutting a sharp left as soon as she had passed the limits of the wall.

Leaning against the wall and breathing as quietly as she could, Toph listened. No guards running after her... no shouts of her name... she made it! She was outside the estate!

It was the first time Toph had ever been outside of the Bei Fong estate—at least, it was by her memory, and she thought she could remember quite a lot. A grin unfurled, and Toph embraced the feeling of dirt under her feet. Oh, where to go, what to do! She had never not been supervised before, and was unsure what to do with her newfound freedom.

Explore the outside world? Search for a child to play with? Practice her Bending?

The thought occurred to Toph suddenly, so suddenly that she nearly gasped. Inside the Bei Fong estate, her Bending practice was always supervised by Chizu, who never allowed her to do anything other than what Master Yu had taught her. And even when Chizu wasn't watching her and Toph was just at play, there were still gardeners and guards to scold her if she tried to do anything too advanced. But now that she was outside of the wall, she could do whatever she pleased, and if she wanted to Earthbend, she could!

She was just about to fall into her horse stance when Toph remembered—the guards would have returned to their posts by now, and any sort of Earthbending, no matter how quiet she would try to be, would draw their attention. She needed to get away from the Bei Fong estate if she wanted to practice without getting caught.

Putting a hand on the wall, Toph followed it all along the northern path, dragging her feet in the grass (_outside grass!_) the entire way. Upon reaching the corner where the northern wall met the western, Toph dropped her hand and let her mind focus on the Earth around her. To her left were the beginnings of a small forest (she could feel the tangle of growing roots from the trees), and to her right her Earth connection was suddenly cut off. Toph knew, however, that there was a small creek running near the Bei Fong property, and assumed this was it. Toph turned to the left and began walking when—

BOOM!

Toph spun on the spot and faced the creek with narrowed eyes. That had sounded suspiciously like Earthbending...

There it was again!

All thoughts of the forest long abandoned, Toph adjusted her course for the creek. When she reached it, she began wadding in immediately, pausing only to hike up her skirt. The water reached mid-thigh when Toph realized she didn't know how deep the water would get—and she had no idea how to swim.

Backing out of the water, Toph found a good-sized rock from the bank and threw it as hard as she could. She heard it hit ground instead of water and deemed the creek safe to travel. Pulling up her skirt again, she wadded in and crossed the creek, managing to get only her underwear slightly damp.

Once on the other side of the creek, Toph shook her skirt back down to her ankles and grimaced at the feeling of the cloth sticking to her wet legs. To make up for the feeling, she dug her feet deep into the dirt and wiggled her toes, admiring the comforting connection. Her purpose in crossing the creek was almost forgotten as squishy mud formed between her toes, but a small tremor in the ground reminded her of the suspicious Earthbending.

Jumping to attention, Toph turned to the origin of the small trembling. There were trees there, a group of them not too thick, but beyond that she couldn't sense anything—the roots seemed to have a net-like affect on her, not letting her feeling reach beyond them. But Toph was sure the sounds were coming from that direction, just behind those trees.

Setting out at a steady pace, Toph angled toward the band of forest. It only took her a few minutes to reach it, but navigating through the trees proved to be much more difficult. Toph had never needed to walk through two trees next to each other at the estate, much less a forest of them. The trees were quite close together, but by focusing on the Earth under her feet, she was able to separate tree from tree by the concentration of their roots. But just in case, she held her arms out in front of her to act as a shield (Toph had run into a tree once, and preferred not to repeat the experience).

Once she had passed through the band of trees, Toph took a moment to orientate herself with the surrounding area. The forest was behind her and in front of her there was a small stretch of land, no more than fifteen paces wide. Beyond that, more trees.

Toph frowned. Whoever was out here Earthbending chose a pretty bad spot to do it—there was nothing but trees! And what were they doing, throwing rocks at monkey-squirrels? But the idea of another Bender—another child!—was too appealing for Toph to turn back. Besides, she had come all this way, and she was determined to find whoever was out there.

She entered the wooded area more confidently this time and was surprised by what her Earth feeling showed her—there was more than trees in this band of forest. From what she could figure, there was a cluster of caves and high plateaus among the trees. So maybe this Earthbender wasn't so dumb after all!

Careful to avoid any trees, Toph ran to the nearest of the caves, her insides a mess of nervous anticipation at the idea of meeting another person—especially another person her age. She stopped at the gaping mouth of the cave and waited. Would this other person make the first move, or would she have to call out? Would she need to show that she was a Bender, too? Or was the person not even in this cave?

"Hello?" Toph called, ears pricked for the slightest sound.

There was a scuffling, so quiet Toph hardly even heard it, and the tension of a cornered animal perfuming the air that she sensed more than anything. There was someone else in the cave, Toph was sure of it; now she just needed to prove that she wasn't going to hurt him or her, and there was only one way to do that.

Toph dropped into her favorite stance (the one Master Yu would never have allowed—much too advanced, he would say) and positioned her arms out in front of her. She calmed the nervous feeling inside her chest and let her mind drift into the Earth. Pulling up confidently, Toph drew a rock—larger than the last she had managed to draw out—and let it hover in the air in front of her. A smile appeared on her face at the accomplishment.

There was a definite sound from the back of the cave; Toph heard it with her own two ears. It sounded, _almost_, like a throaty purr, reminiscent of the pleased growl a flying boar would make when petted just right. Toph's brow dipped into a confused frown.

The rock was starting to get heavy and Toph focused on returning it to the ground rather than the mysterious person hiding in the back of the cave. She dropped her wrists slowly, concentrating on opening the ground in front of her rather than holding the rock up—the rock, in return, wavered unsteadily and sank a few more inches. Blowing unruly bangs from where they were tickling her cheeks, Toph lowered the rock until it touched the Earth and sunk in, slowly but surely. It was hard at first, having to divide her concentration on both the ground and the rock, but once she was able to focus on both, it was surprisingly easy, like talking and walking at the same time. Her teeth pulled back from where they had been biting her lip and she grinned.

Toph spun suddenly at the sound coming from the rear of the cave—a heavy sound, not from a human, she was sure, but from something much bigger, much heavier, moving toward her. A pang of fear caught her in the chest, but Toph stood firm. Whatever it was hadn't attacked her yet, so maybe it hadn't even noticed her. Maybe it was just on its way out of the cave and wouldn't even—

Toph gave a shriek as something brushed against her arm: soft and warm and furry. Pressing a hand over her mouth and throwing herself against the wall of the cave, Toph tried to calm herself enough to figure out just _what_ the thing was.

Closing her eyes as if to help her concentrate, Toph struggled to understand what her Earth feelings were telling her. Whatever it was, it was _huge_, and standing in front of her. Toph didn't really have a way with animals, as she didn't have much interaction with them, but this one was gigantic and could probably eat her if it wanted to. So... why hadn't it?

Eyes still squeezed shut, Toph had to bite her tongue to keep herself from gasping as something nudged her arm gently. It was cold and wet and... a nose? She could feel the brush of whiskers and the warm puffs of breath on her skin. Eyes opening to nothing, she cautiously reached out—her hand landed on soft fur, and whatever it was nudged her hand with its giant head.

Curiosity overran any fear now, and Toph reached out with the other hand. The fur was soft under her palms, and slipped through her fingers like long grass. The beast was making that sound again, that sort of throaty, pleased purr, and Toph took that as a sign to continue petting its head. She took a moment to investigate and found wide ears and a snout with a cold nose and long whiskers that twitched when she brushed them. There were two eyes that winked shut when her fingers passed over them and Toph couldn't help but wonder what the massive creature only inches away from her was.

"Hello," Toph murmured quietly to the animal, rubbing behind its ears. "What are you?"

The animal growled deeply at the sound of her voice and nudged its head against her hand again. Toph brushed her fingers through its soft, dusty fur in reply and was just beginning to enjoy the feeling of its breath on her face when the massive creature backed away from her. A small noise of protest burst from her before she could stop it, but the animal paid her no heed as it went on its way. Toph allowed herself a small frown at the fact that the creature was leaving her alone, but then remembered what her original reason for searching the cave was: to find another Bender.

Giving the beast a small wave, Toph set out for the entrance of the cave and the mysterious Earthbender when something froze her straight in her tracks. It was the distinctive sound of Earthbending—loud and strong and undeniable, just like the art form itself—and it was coming from behind her, within the cave.

Turning slowly on the spot, more confused than she'd ever admit, Toph struggled to understand what was happening. Her Earth senses were telling her a fascinating and yet confusing story, one where giant creatures in caves were Bending large rocks out of the ground. Just like the story, Toph's mind reasoned, just like the story of Oma and Shu...

"Badgermole!" she cried, startling not only the creature but also herself. She felt as if she could jump and clap at the discovery. "You're a badgermole!"

The animal purred loudly as if to confirm it and then went back to its Bending. Toph laughed in delight and punched at the air in celebration of her comprehension, once again missing the deliberate Bending of the badgermole. It seemed to hum as it worked, shifting rock and moving stone as a soft, resonating melody filled the cave.

Suddenly it gave a growl that sounded anything but friendly—Toph jumped to attention and took a step back, startled by the sharp sound. The badgermole was moving toward her, she could hear and feel more than sense, and Toph took another step back. It had seemed friendly, as it nuzzled her hand and brushed against her arms, but now all she could sense was how _huge_ it was, how it could step on her and crush her bones without a second thought, how it could Bend her into a wall and not even notice, how it could swallow her whole and call her an afternoon snack.

The badgermole paused in front of her and almost seemed to regard her as it hovered high above her. Then it moved, slowly and carefully, into a stance Toph knew well, one that Master Yu would have never allowed, one that was quickly becoming her favorite. She observed the movements of the animal through the Earth as it slid giant, clawed paws forward against the ground and then brought them together sharply as it pulled back—a rock, huge, ten times as large as Toph, erupted from the ground in a splay of pebbles and dust.

She felt a thrill rush through her chest as the boulder landed with a resounding crash. The badgermole had Earthbended, right in front of her! But, Toph couldn't help noticing, the motions the badgermole had used... they were _different_ than the ones Master Yu had showed her. In fact, they looked almost _easier_ than the movements her sifu had used—so much smoother, so much more natural.

Toph couldn't help but slide into a stance that was identical to the badgermole's. She ran through the actions in her mind, repeating them carefully until she was sure she could duplicate the movements. Then she brought her hands up in front of her, letting them hand loosely near her waist. She pulled them up sharply in a small arc that followed the natural reach of her arms. Toph grinned at the simplicity of the action and it wasn't until her badgermole friend growled that she noticed a certain heaviness in her wrists.

It was... a rock? Toph pushed both hands forward and the small boulder flew across the cave and crashed into the opposing wall. A purring filled the cavern and a smile broke out on Toph's face—she'd Earthbended, and it had been so easy, so comfortable, it was almost like moving her own body. It was as if the boulder had been nothing more than an extension of her own arms, following her actions as she lifted and contoured her limbs.

The badgermole rubbed against her, effectively shaking her out of her reverie. It made an imploring roar and moved into a new stance, one that Toph was quick to pick up on and copy. It was comfortable to slip into this stance, she realized, much more so than when Master Yu had shown her, despite that it was one he had drilled since the beginning. When her sifu had shown her this move, his actions, though effective, had seemed strained and forced to her, whereas the badgermole moved from stance to stance as simply as she found breathing.

She followed the movements carefully, overjoyed at how naturally everything came to her, as if it was a part of her that had been buried deep within her, undiscovered, and was now just getting the chance to surface. It was almost as if the Earth was guiding her movements, rather than the other way around, and she was more than happy to let it do so.

The badgermole completed the complicated-made-easy move and the Earth, which had been twisting in ways Master Yu could only imagine, settled back from where it had been taken. The Earthbending creature turned to Toph and gave a grunt that seemed to say, _Get going then, try it out for yourself! _Flashing her new friend a smile, Toph planted her feet and began.

The move came effortlessly, as did the next three the animal maneuvered her through. The badgermole was now moving quickly through all four of the attacks he had shown her, one after another in quick succession, a steady stream of flying rock that left bits of boulder splaying and dust ascending. When the assault on her senses halted, Toph could feel the gaping hole left in the cave wall made by only four lucid barrages of rock—she turned to the creature in amazement and could almost feel it giving her an encouraging signal of go-ahead.

With a half-convinced grin and a deep, slow breath, Toph sank into her stance and followed the steps, one by one, just as the badgermole had done. The rocks she Bended weren't quite as large or as impressive as her instructors, nor were her moves as confident or as smooth, but Toph created just as much noise and dust, and the stretch of wall she had assaulted was just as battered, and that was good enough for her.

It was, apparently, good enough for her badgermole sifu as well, for it gave a low growl of pleasure, nuzzled along the whole right side of her body and nearly tipped her over, and then, with one last parting purr, began to slink into the back of the cave.

"Wait! Wait, where're you going?" cried Toph, her voice echoing thinly in the recess. "Are we done already? I wanna learn more stuff!"

But the badgermole had already reached the back of the cave, and with a Bending move that reverberated inside of her chest and burst into her mind like a boulder to the head, tore open the wall and ambled out without so much as a backwards glance. A heavy scowl fixed itself on Toph's face.

So her new sifu left her—so what? What did she need the help of a badgermole for anyway? She was Toph Bei Fong, and she was—she was—she was going to be the greatest Earthbender ever, and she didn't need a stupid badgermole to do it!

Kicking at a stray rock that she didn't even need to concentrate to find, Toph slouched out of the cave and was surprised to feel the sun hot above her head. When she had left, it had been late morning, just after breakfast, and the world hadn't had the time to warm up; but now, it was hot and muggy, heat rising in waves from the baking Earth. How long had she been inside the cave with the badgermole? And how long had it taken her to find the cave?

A wave of anxiety crashed over Toph. If her parents discovered that she had sneaked out, she would certainly never be let out of the house without her mother ever again, never mind the scolding she would get. (_You're blind, Toph, imagine what would happen if you wandered into the road! What if you couldn't find your way back? What if it got so hot, but you couldn't find any food or water? What if someone kidnapped you or tried to hurt you? What would you do, Toph? You're so fragile, you need to be protected!_) And not only would she get a telling off, but so would Chizu; despite everything, Toph really did the like the older woman quite a lot (if only for the fact that she was an Earthbender and often nodded off on play dates).

And, she thought wildly, heart starting to beat hard in her chest, if she never had a chance to play alone, then she would never have a chance to sneak off again, and that would mean more breathing exercises with Master Yu while her badgermole friend lived only minutes from her own front door... This, more than anything, drove her as she stumbled through the band of trees, across the short stretch of bare land, through another width of forest, and straight into the small creek dividing Toph from her home.

Water seeped into her clothing as she waded haphazardly through the water, slipping and stumbling more than once on the slick stones that lined the bottom of the creek. The rushing water was cold, but she didn't seem to notice, not even as she dragged herself out at the other bank and her ornate dress and thin shawl—which seemed to weigh ten pounds more than they had before—clung to her legs and torso as a biting wind blew, impeding her movement and making the trek back to the Bei Fong estate even more difficult.

Toph reached the western wall and slouched against it, breathing raggedly and clutching a shooting pain in her side. She had to hurry, had to get inside the wall, before she got in trouble, before the guards found her, before they could notify her parents—

The guards.

Where were they? Did they know she was gone? Where they out looking for her at that very moment, searching the shrubs or standing ominously at the edge of the pond? Or were they at their posts, exchanging jokes and exaggerated stories, thinking she was safely locked inside?

"Stop," Toph told herself sternly. "I just gotta be calm."

She took a few deep breaths, in and out, just like Master Yu had taught her. Toph found that it made her surprisingly calmer, and now she could think clearly. She realized the first thing she needed to do: Find out where the guards were.

She cast her Earth-feeling all around her, reaching out and searching for the guards. From what she could tell, there was no one outside of the walls except for the two men posted at the gate and herself. Inside the walls, however, was another matter entirely. She could feel the frantic feet of people sending waves in every direction, scurrying across the courtyard at random.

They realized she was gone, that had to be it, and now they were tearing apart the entire Bei Fong estate looking for her. How was she going to sneak in without being seen? There was no way she would be able to distract the guards _and_ slip within the walls while all those people were scouring every foot of the courtyard, no way she wouldn't be spotted—but she had to try. She had to think of a plan.

Toph leaned against the wall, thinking hard. How was she ever going to get in? Solid stone walls locked her out on all four sides, and an iron gate in front. High above her, a sparrowkeet landed on the wall—

Toph blinked. How had she known that? The bird was silent, so she didn't hear it, and she certainly couldn't have seen it land... then how had she known?

The sparrowkeet took off with a rush of its silent wings and Toph felt it—the pressure on the wall, the waves of the bird taking flight. She could sense the ripples of the talons biting into brick and stone, and then pushing off with force—it was the waves, the same waves she used to identify people and objects, but it extended up the walls guarding the Bei Fong estate. Toph suddenly knew what she had to do to get inside.

The walls that had for so long kept her locked inside were nothing more than stone, fashioned into a prison. She was an Earthbender, and this wall was her element, just an extension of her body, and she was going to tear it apart and put it back together again.

In through the nose, out through the mouth—Toph took a deep breath and placed both hands on the western wall. She had never done anything like this before; the most she'd ever done was pull boulders from the ground and put them back, nothing as complicated as opening a gaping hole in a wall. But this was her ticket back inside, she knew it, and she was going to do it.

She fell into her horse stance and studied the stone in front of her. She knew how to do this, she did, she was going to, she just had to concentrate, breath in, out, oh _how_ was she going to do this?

And just like that, something clicked in her mind. She knew how to do this, she'd seen it done before—the badgermole. Toph had studied it as it left the cave, as it opened up the stone and scuffled through, and she knew that if her sifu badgermole had been able to do it, so could she.

Nearly burning a hole through the wall with her sightless gaze alone, Toph pulled closed fists to her sides and straightened her stance. Feet apart, hands at her hips, she stomped her foot just like she'd felt the badgermole do, and suddenly, amazingly, a stretch of wall rose smoothly into itself. It dropped down half a foot at her surprise, but with a confident grin, she stomped her foot again and the hole widened, until it was nearly as tall as she was. Careful not to cuff her head on the low-hanging rock, Toph walked into the Bei Fong estate through her self-made door.

Toph allowed herself a smile at her Earthbending accomplishment and pumped her fist in the air in show of her excitement. But then scurrying feet shuffled into her conscious and she quickly stifled her happiness—at that moment, she had to take care of the gaping hole in the middle of the wall. Now, all she had to do was figure out how to do that...

Perhaps, Toph reasoned, the wall she had Bended was just like a regular door, sliding along on a set of tracks. So, in theory, just like how she had forced the area of wall up, she should be able to push it back down, the very same way a door worked. So, if she adopted that same stance and put her hands, palms down, level with her neck... and if she pushed them down, just like pushing the Earth down, like moving her own hands—

She had to hold in her delight as the stone of the wall slid smoothly back into place. Running a hand along the area where her door had once been, she found it as seamless and sanded-down as the rest of the four walls—a testament to what her sifu badgermole had taught her, and to her own abilities. But what really excited her, more so than her impressive Earthbending accomplishments, was that she was inside the Bei Fong property once again, and that she had gotten there all by herself, without being discovered.

Now all she had to do was make it seem like she had been within the estate the entire time she had really been gone...

Putting on her most innocent face (one she happened to be very well-practiced in), Toph brushed off her skirts, adjusted the shawl around her tiny shoulders, and wandered aimlessly from behind the cluster of buildings that had hidden her from the greedy eyes of her search team. Perhaps, she thought, she should tell them she had been playing behind the house the entire time and just hadn't heard them screaming her name... or that she had found an injured sparrowkeet, and that she was nursing it back to health... or that there was a—

"_Toph_!"

She felt strong, motherly arms wrap around her, felt the quaking of the chest pressed so tightly against hers, felt the ragged breathing of a crying mouth on her neck.

"Oh, _Toph_, oh darling, we've been _so worried_ about you!" said the weary, relieved voice of Chizu. The woman hugged Toph tighter. "I've been all in a tither, don't think I've ever seen my old bones move so fast as when I couldn't find you! _Ooh_, dear Toph..."

Toph stood still in her caretaker's embrace, wiggling only when it felt as if Chizu was going to suffocate her against her breasts. Then, suddenly, Chizu pulled back, her weathered hands gripping Toph's arms tightly and her whole demeanor screaming _stern_, from the way her head was cocked to the way her knees sank into the ground.

"Just where have you been, Toph?" she demanded, voice admonishing. "We've torn the entire gardens apart looking for you, the gardeners and I, and we didn't catch hide or hair of you! _Where_ have you been hiding?"

Toph shrank back slightly at Chizu's hysteria. "I... I was asleep!" she invented wildly. "I followed a—a sparrowkeet behind the house and I falled asleep and I just waked up now!" She brushed a tear from the corner of her sightless eye. "I'm sorry..."

She could feel Chizu's resolve weakening as the woman groped for something to scold Toph about. "Well then... why's your dress all wet, Toph, what have you been doing to get it wet?"

"I was—I was... I was playing in the water!" she cried. "You told me not to, but I played in the pond an' I got all wet!"

It was a blatant lie, Toph knew, but a very believable one, and she could tell that Chizu had believed it by the way she sat back on her heels and cast her head from side to side, as if people were watching her, waiting for her to tell off little Toph for wandering away.

Chizu took Toph's hand in hers and gave it a few small pats. "All right, Toph," she said gently. "But you know we're both going to be in trouble now, don't you?"

Toph nodded—oh, how she knew. But it would not be as much trouble as she could have been in, and for that she was thankful.

"I know," she said, and added a tiny sniff at the end simply for effect: Chizu embraced her again.

"Oh, child," she murmured quietly, releasing Toph to study her delicate face. "I know how much you want a real friend your own age instead of an old woman like me, for you to go wandering off like this."

"No," said Toph, without a single thought. "I like bein' friends with you, Chizu. You're my best friend."

The old woman burst into tears and draped her heavy body across Toph. "_Ooh_, you lonely girl, that you should say such things! That you should resort to an old woman for companionship! That your parents should lock you away from the world!"

Chizu continued to cry racking sobs, and Toph bewilderedly patted the woman on the back in an attempt at comforting her. By why, Toph wondered, would Chizu be so upset about her saying that? After all, she was the only friend Toph really had... Chizu and sifu badgermole...

"Come now," said Chizu suddenly, and briskly got to her feet. She paused to brush the dirt from her own dress before doing the same for Toph's. "We're in such a state, the two of us, but we'll need to inform your parents that you've been found before they get too frenzied and call out the guards to search the town. And to think, they were considering that of kidnap..."

She grasped Toph's hand firmly in her own and began the walk up to the main house, where Toph was sure her father was barking out orders and her mother was in silent, streaming tears. With Chizu still going on and on to herself in a low, songlike voice, Toph couldn't help but feel that this was some sort of judgement call, like facing the great spirits in the spirit world, just like she'd heard in so many stories and fairytales...

But that was okay, Toph decided, as Chizu pushed open the great wooden front doors and a ringing silence fell over the house. That was okay, because what she had learned today, from her sifu badgermole and by herself, made it all worth it. Because even if the father holding on to her so tightly kept her trapped inside her room, Toph knew the way out that no key could keep locked from her. Even if the mother weeping at her feet forbade her from ever seeing Master Yu again, Toph knew that she had the greatest sifu she would ever need hidden within the caves. Even if the old nursemaid swore on Oma and Shu never to leave her side again, Toph knew the woman would drift off eventually and she would be given free reigns over her life.

No matter what happened to her, no matter what judgement was passed down upon her, Toph stood firm with the knowledge that what she had learned today was far more important than her mother and father and nurse and even herself. What she had learned today was something called freedom; what she had learned today was the beginning of her life.

And Toph wouldn't give that up for anything in the world.

* * *

**AN: **If you've gotten this far: Good for you! Did you like it? Write a review and tell me!


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